Navigating the Star Wars Fireworks at Disney's Hollywood Studios

The Star Wars presence is in full force at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. During the day, Captain Phasma leads First Order stormtroopers on a march from Star Wars Launch Bay to Center Stage, and “Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away” highlights iconic moments from the celebrated saga, featuring appearances by Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, BB-8 and more. The real showstopper, though, is the nighttime show Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular! You might need a little more than Jedi mind tricks to navigate the park as cast members prepare for this nightly Star Wars fireworks show, but hoppily we're here to help!

The original Star Wars fireworks show, Symphony in the Stars, has transformed into a bigger, bolder show full of projections, pyrotechnics and of course, the unmistakable Star Wars themes. It has essentially become THE Hollywood Studios fireworks. This galaxy-sized show journeys through the entire Star Wars saga as favorite characters and moments surround the audience along with a 180-degree fireworks display. From the twin suns of Tattooine to the swamps of Dagobah, the Death Star to Starkiller Base, this is certainly one show Star Wars fans will not want to miss! Here are our tips for getting around Hollywood Studios for fireworks viewing.

Tips for Seeing Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular

Mind the closures and changes in traffic flow. Unlike its predecessor, the new fireworks show does not require any attractions to close. The park has an all-new fireworks launch area that removes the fallout zone that previously had to close for fireworks displays. However, the new show does affect some areas, including the former Great Movie Ride/forthcoming Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway courtyard. This traffic flow on Commissary Lane may also be slightly altered prior to and during the show, with cast members directing guests away from the exit and courtyard of the (former) Great Movie Ride. Because of the projections, the Hollywood Boulevard and Center Stage areas become congested very quickly. To get a viewing spot in these areas, plan to arrive early!

Look out for tape lines and roped off areas. Although attractions no longer close, there are still a few roped off areas and taped walkways to allow guests to safely navigate through the park and viewing areas during the Hollywood Studios fireworks. Take note of taped lines that designate walkways from viewing areas. Guests are not permitted to watch the show from the walkways.

Scope out your viewing spot early. This is even more important than it was previously due to the addition of the projections. It is a smart idea to know where you intend to watch the show so you don’t waste time fighting through the crowd for the perfect viewing spot. Try to arrive 30 to 45 minutes prior to the show for prime viewing near Center Stage, and at least 20 minutes early for viewing anywhere further back on Hollywood Boulevard or left/right of stage. If you’re coming from Fantasmic!, we recommend following Sunset Boulevard up to the main street, then follow the pathway over to Echo Lake to the viewing area near Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner.

Note the time(s) for Fantasmic! Speaking of Fantasmic!, it’s hopful to know the showtimes for the park’s nighttime show, whether you plan to attend or not. Fantasmic! is the nightly stage performance held in the amphitheater near Tower of Terror. The half-hour show tends to let out shortly before the fireworks begin. This means those waiting to view the fireworks on Hollywood Boulevard will likely experience a massive influx of people around the time the show lets out. For those coming from Fantasmic!, note that the viewing areas on Hollywood Boulevard and up to Center Stage do fill very quickly. Your best bet for good viewing is to follow the path in front of the Brown Derby toward the Animation Courtyard or follow the walkway around toward Echo Lake up to the Hyperion Theater (home of the Frozen Sing-Along).

Try a Dessert Package for reserved viewing. This show has proven to be extremely popular, making it somewhat difficult to secure a great view without waiting for quite some time. To avoid the hassle of claiming a spot early, try the Dessert Party Package. Disney’s Hollywood Studios offers a fireworks dessert package, where guests can enjoy different Star Wars-inspired sweets indoors at the Disney Junior Live building before heading over to their reserved viewing area near Center Stage. For details and reservations, call 407-WDW-DINE or visit your resort concierge or guest relations.

Comments

Is there a strategy for short people to stake out a spot such as behind a garbage can? How soon do they tape out the walkways? Would standing just inside a taped area next to and facing the walkway be a good spot? My daughter is 12 and a bit short for her age - way too short to see over many people but too heavy for me to carry. I am not that tall either. Thanks for any advice!

They start taping the walkways a couple hours prior to showtime. Either of your strategies sounds great in order to avoid getting stuck behind a tall person! Also, no worries -- much of the action is high in the sky and via audio.

I keep looking for evidence that Disney will bring back Symphony in the Stars as it was our favorite Disney fireworks show and it would bring us back out to Hollywood Studios again and again despite the construction. The new show is such a poor imitation of the old one. No emotional appeal. I can watch a video montage of the Star Wars movies on YouTube. So disappointing!

How can I find out if The Star Wars Galactic Spectacular will be presented during my trip to WDW during the week of April 15-22, 2017? If it is being presented, what time is the show? I received an advertisement via e-mail that seemed to suggest that it may be presented this Spring, but could not find any other info on the website.

Disney has not released showtimes for Star Wars Galactic Spectacular for that week. Visiting the page for the show and inputting your dates is the best way to know when performances will be. Showtimes will depend on how late the park is open.

Hi there, I had read that you could see the fireworks really well from outside the park before they turned to the new show. Do you know if that is still true? I know we wouldn't see the projections, but is there enough fireworks in the sky to take the kids over one night? We do this with Wishes and wanted to see if it was worth the time.

You can see the Star Wars fireworks from outside of Hollywood Studios (from outside the main entrance as far as the walkway that leads over to the Boardwalk and Epcot). There are fewer fireworks than in the previous show because of the huge amount of projections that make up the show, but there's still a pretty nice display. If you're close by, and want to stop and see it, by all means, but I wouldn't trek all the way across property to see it from outside the park.

Any update on the Star Wars fireworks? We are heading to WDW the Sun after Thandsgiving, a little over 6 weeks away. The schedule shows a few dates in early November but nothing after the first week of Nov. What do you think the firework days and times will be? Also, do you have any prediction or idea what Disney is doing to fill the gap left by their ending the Osbourne Christmas Spectacular?

We are at DW this week and watched Fantasmic last night, aside from not being able to view both shows in the same night, the fireworks from Star Wars completely ruined Fantasmic for us, they were going off for most of the show, right behind us. It was extremely distracting, and I am so disappointed in Disney for not thinking about this (unlikely), or just ignoring that they will be ruining the magical experience for thousands at Fantasmic.

I am going at the end of August. I agree, it is terrible that we must choose one or the other. However if you are going to be in the parks several nights and have a park hopper pass, you could do what we are doing (but shouldn't have to - thanks Disney). We are spending the day at Animal Kingdom then going to Hollywood studios for Star Wars A Galactic Spectacular showing at 8:45 then returning to AK for the 10:30 showing of Jungle Book. I kept hoping that as it got closer to the date we will be there the would change one of the showtimes, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.

We are planning our trip mid September and Hollywood Studios closes at 7:30 each night we will be there. We were really wanting to see the new galactic spectacular. Will they still be doing it even though the park closes so early? It looks like most nights in September Hollywood Studios closes at 7:30.

Our family is visiting towards the end of September/early October and desperately want to attend the Galactic Dessert Party. Any word on if this will be continued into the fall months? I checked online today for dates and could only see it offered through the first week of July.

Hello! We are coming in January 2017 and are trying to figure out which day to go to DHS. Do we know if this new fireworks show starting June 17th will be a nightly show like Wishes? Or on certain days like Fantasmic?

At this point, we don't know for sure. Disney is in the process of transitioning to the new show, so it's not clear if anything will be available for unofficial preview for that point or if the current show will be extended.

We will be in hollywood studios on june 11th. Im afraid the crowds will be bad but really want to see fantasmic and the star wars fireworks. Is it worth buying the desert party? I heard its standing only and if you don't reserve a spot up front it will be hard to see. I have a 5 and 6yr old,.

We did the desert party last year in June as it has been part of the Star Wars weekends previously. It was by far the best part of the day! It was far less chaotic having a dedicated space to view the show and my boys LOVED it! I would not recommend skipping this if you can avoid it.

Hi. We are planning to go to Hollywood Studios the week of the 26th September. Had hoped to go on Monday 26th. Are there going to be daily showings of the starwars show then? I cannot see it in the schedule.

Hi, I just wanted to note that the current schedule on Disney World's website only has Symphony in the Stars on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights during May, except that they also have a show scheduled on Saturday, May 28. That's the last show currently on the schedule, though I'd guess you're right that they'll extend it until the next one is ready (which, according to Disney's blog, should start sometime in June.)

We saw the fireworks at Hollywood Studios on Feb 24th. We saw Fantasmic and just walked to Main Street and stood and watched them. No huge crowd at the end toward the exit. They were STUNNING better then Wishes at Magic Kingdom in my opinion.

All of the parks offer things to do for your son's age. Magic Kingdom is always a good choice, and offers tons of fun rides. If he is into Star Wars, Disney's Hollywood Studios is good too. Tad and Lily both love Epcot, but it's not a traditional theme park and offers more cultural options with just a handful of rides. You might find more help in this post on the best Orlando theme parks by age group: